The Atlas Obscura Podcast

This Dog Stole Madrid’s Heart

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1880s, Madrid’s most famous resident was a medium-sized black and white dog called Paco who frequented cafes, parades, and even bullfights. ...

Arizona’s Big, Big Souvenir

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1960s, London Bridge was falling down – specifically, it was sinking down under the weight of modern-day traffic. London decided to put the b...

Trips We Couldn’t Miss

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From a once in a lifetime natural event, to two very different Olympic experiences, to a special concert, we hear listener stories of trekking somepla...

Baobab Fare (Classic)

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Chef Hamissi Mamba, whose family sought asylum in the US and years later founded an East African restaurant that serves up a small slice ...

The Plotz Plot on… TLC’s Sister Wives?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A couple years ago, Josh Foer, the co-founder of Atlas Obscura, took us to a remote patch of land in the Arizona desert, where he built (and later reb...

Dylan’s Mailbag: Overrated Landmarks, Exploring Your Own City, and Places We Secretly Love

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan and producers Amanda and Johanna take your questions. Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can als...

Cuatro Ciénegas

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The pools at Cuatro Ciénegas Basin are a portal into the ancient past – and they may soon disappear.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. S...

Are Wild Birds Singing Human Music?

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In cool, misty forests along the coast of New South Wales Australia, a group of lyrebirds is suspected of singing human songs they learned in the 1920...

Nasothek Noses (Classic)

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We get up close and nosey about a peculiar exhibit in Copenhagen that reveals a lot about what artists and society considered beautiful throughout the...

Sam Sanders Is a Nature Girly

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Host, reporter, and podcaster Sam Sanders talks with Dylan about the places that have shaped his life – from when he was a kid in a small town in T...

Martinique’s Doomsday and the Man Who Survived

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On May 7, 1902, a man named Ludger Sylbaris was thrown in jail – and it saved his life.      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm...

The Snowy Owls of Boston Logan International Airport

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, a number of snowy owls (aka Arctic owls) find their way to an unlikely haven: Boston Logan International Airport. Owl expert Norman Smith ...

Atlas Obscura Presents: A Trucker on Seeing the US by Road with Women Who Travel

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we’re bringing  you an episode from our friends at the Women Who Travel podcast. Women make up just 7% of truckers in the United States—a ...

Unusual Love Stories Week: Post Office Bay

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re featuring unusual love stories – from couples who were introduced by a mule, to the world’s most loyal dog, to a post office s...

Unusual Love Stories Week: Getting Lost with Susan Orlean

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re featuring unusual love stories – from couples who were introduced by a mule, to the world’s most loyal dog, to a post office s...

Unusual Love Stories Week: The Museum of Broken Relationships

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re featuring unusual love stories – from couples who were introduced by a mule, to the world’s most loyal dog, to a post office s...

Unusual Loves Stories Week: Hachiko

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re featuring unusual love stories – from couples who were introduced by a mule, to the world’s most loyal dog, to a post office s...

Unusual Love Stories Week: A Long Walk Home

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re featuring unusual love stories – from couples who were introduced by a mule, to the world’s most loyal dog, to a post office s...

Send Dylan Your Questions!

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re looking for questions for our next mailbag episode. Maybe you’re looking for travel advice, maybe you want to hear more about a weird thing ...

Songs of Ice with the Places Team (Classic)

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stories of how giant monuments built for a specific site sometimes need to go on a journey to get there.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlaso...

Paul Scheer’s Life in Three Places

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan talks with actor and comedian Paul Scheer about three places that have shaped him. And to Dylan’s surprise, Paul doesn’t pick good memories....

Ben Franklin’s Musical Invention

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan tries his hand at playing a “glass armonica,” a musical instrument invented by Benjamin Franklin. Its high-pitched, eerie sounds were rumore...

Africville

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Africville was a Black-Canadian community north of Halifax, Nova Scotia. But when the Canadian government decided it wanted the land the community sat...

First Travel Dates

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time – for better or for worse. Plus: We want to hear your stories about trav...

Medfield State Hospital (Classic)

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This abandoned hospital outside Boston, Massachusetts was originally conceived as a place to help people with mental health issues. But it wound up do...

Joe Magarac: The Other Man of Steel

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Magarac is a folk hero that allegedly was born from the stories of immigrant steelworkers in the early 20th century. He is the Paul Bunyan of Stee...

More First Trips Abroad

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last month, we asked you for stories about your first trips abroad. That really struck a chord – we got too many great stories to fit in a single e...

The Diving Horses of Atlantic City

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For half a century, horse diving was one of Atlantic City’s biggest attractions. One day in August 1964, a young girl attended one of these shows, a...

Dylan’s Mailbag: Tough Trips, Controversial Airplane Etiquette, and Tattoos

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan and producer Johanna take your questions.     Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also r...

Buckley’s Cave (Classic)

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of Australia’s greatest stories of escape and survival centers around this rock formation in Point Lonsdale. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://ww...

The Mystery Man of Marree

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 1998, a giant drawing of an Aboriginal man mysteriously appeared in the Australian Outback. Some locals were thrilled. Others wanted it destroyed. ...

Mobile Bay’s Tidal Wave of Fish

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every summer, along a 15 mile stretch of the Alabama coastline, an almost magical natural phenomenon washes up on the beaches. Hundreds of fish and se...

Atlas Obscura Goes Off Assignment: To the Platinum Blonde DJ On Her Way to Laos

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A traveler in Vang Vieng, Laos writes a letter to a fellow traveler. This essay was edited by Lenora Todaro and originally appeared in Off Assignment....

Atlas Obscura Presents: "Bigfoot is from North Carolina" with The Broadside

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sasquatch is Southern. And its cultural and economic impact in Appalachia is sizable. Today, we bring you an episode of The Broadside, a podcast produ...

Brown Dog Statue (Classic)

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This memorial marks the life of a pup who sparked riots over animal rights issues in London. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/pla...

Don’t Ask Jacques Ze Whipper What He Does for a Living

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to run away and join the circus, this episode is for you. Dylan talks with Jack Lepiarz, also known as Jacq...

The Town That Moved a Windmill

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When Peter James first stumbled on the Lowfield Heath Windmill, it was falling apart. Determined to save it, he embarked on a years-long effort with t...

The Kola Superdeep Borehole

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1980s, a team of Soviet scientists dug a hole in the Earth’s crust so deep that they reached Hell… complete with high temperatures, unexpla...

First Trips Abroad

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Listener stories about traveling abroad for the first time – from a trip to Germany in 2020, to a chalet in Switzerland in 1986, to a trip to Iran j...

Endangered Wolf Center (Classic)

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri was founded by zoologist and wildlife TV host Marlin Perkins and was home to an extraordinary wolf who ...

Zach Stafford’s Life in Five Places

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Zach Stafford found great career success at a very young age – he’s a writer, producer, and co-host of the news & culture podcast Vibe Check. His...

Christine's Cell

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the year 1329, a woman named Christine Carpenter was enclosed in a tiny cell in the walls of a church in Shere, England. She was expected to spend ...

Art on Wheels

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan and producer Gabby Gladney dive into the colorful world of art cars, from Houston’s epic parades to DIY creations in Minneapolis. Then, Dylan...

Cabbage Patch BabyLand General Hospital

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Joshua Rigsby takes a very strange journey into the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids. After he returns, he can never look at the dolls the same...

New Year, New Travel Resolutions

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re (almost) back! And we want to hear your New Year’s travel resolutions. Send a voice memo to [email protected]. Or, give us a call at 3...

The Divorce Colony (Holiday Classic)

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For a brief period the small frontier city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota drew in socialites and celebrities who were desperate to end their marriages. ...

In the Doldrums with Bernie Harberts (Holiday Classic)

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ultimate slow travel adventurer (and friend of the show) Bernie Harberts returns to tell us what happened when he spent months floating alone at sea. ...

Broken Angel (Holiday Classic)

01 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The 1980s birthed a gleaming creature that spread its wings of scrap wood and glass over the intersection of two iconic Brooklyn, NY neighborhoods for...

Beishan Broadcast Wall (Holiday Classic)

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On the tiny Kinmen Island, a bow-tie-shape strip of land between China and Taiwan, sits a giant weaponized wall of sound that still stands--and still ...

Anne Spencer’s Garden (Holiday Classic)

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This garden in Lynchburg, Virginia is the key to unlocking the writing and mind of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsW...

A Quick Hello from Dylan. Plus: We Want Your Dating Travel Stories!

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just a little check in. Plus: We want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time – the good, the bad, and the st...

Milo Bitters (Holiday Classic)

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A listener in Lawrence, Kansas takes us on his journey of discovering the secrets of his hometown. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.a...

Exploring the Abandoned with Blake Pfeil (Holiday Classic)

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dylan sits down with guest Blake Pfeil about what inspired him to begin exploring abandoned spots, what those spaces have taught him about escapism, s...

The Shrek Donkey of Barron Park (Holiday Classic)

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We visit a park in Palo Alto, California, home of the world’s most famous donkey. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-d...

The Tank (Holiday Classic)

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An industrial water tank-turned-concert hall in the high deserts of Colorado is nothing less than a sonic wonder of the world. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS...

The Timbuktu Manuscripts

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

These documents highlight the intellectual legacy of an ancient civilization based in Timbuktu, Mali.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura....

A Message from Dylan. Plus: Send Us Your Questions!

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A small bit of news, and a request. To ask Dylan your question, send an email or voice memo to [email protected]. Or, give us a call at 315-992-...

The Portland Treasure Map

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A map in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in Portland, OR may be the key to finding buried treasure that has yet to be f...

Atlas Obscura Presents: A Tour de Stumps with Terrestrials

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Terrestrials, a Radiolab spinoff show for families that explores strangeness on Earth. In this e...

Christmas Monsters with Colin Dickey

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and friend of the show Colin Dickey tries to destroy Dylan’s holiday cheer with arguments about why Christmas is actually full of monsters fr...

Art We Love to Hate

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell take us on a tour of two mildly disturbing yet lovable works of art.  Plus: If you have a piece of...

Dylan's Mailbag: Strange Things Packed, Authentic Adventures, Road Trip Food Disputes, and More

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dylans answers a slew of questions from staff and listeners.Plus: Do you have a question for Dylan? Send us an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscu...

What Was Your First International Trip?

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our first international trips can be hugely influential. We want to hear your stories about leaving your home country for the first time. Where did yo...

Larry Spring Museum of Common Sense Physics (Classic)

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Larry Spring’s Museum of Common Sense Physics in Fort Bragg, California begs the question: What do you do with a science museum where the science pr...

The Witch’s Gear

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the winter solstice and Yule are upon us, we are celebrating these Pagan holidays by talking about the iconic image of the witch, with Pam Grossman...

Palace of Depression

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How one man made someone else's trash into his own treasure ... and how it became a storied part of a New Jersey town.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsW...

Circling The Great Loop on a JetSki

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, hundreds of boats circle the waterways of the eastern United States on The Great Loop. But Mike Straub took a different approach, riding o...

Hello, Stranger

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listeners share stories of memorable encounters with strangers – for better or for worse.Plus: We want to hear your stories about your first intern...

Atlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Andrea Cruz and Miguel Arteta

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. Rising singer-songwriter Andrea Cruz shares how she fell in love with...

Atlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: José Rivera

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.   Oscar-nominated screenwriter and playwright José Rivera shares w...

When a Bitcoin Mine Moves Next Door

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people moved to Granbury, Texas for the peace and quiet. Then, a noisy neighbor moved in – and strange things began happening in town.  Read...

The Ether Dome

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Ether Dome in Boston was once filled with the screams of patients undergoing painful surgeries. In 1846, everything changed with the first success...

Little Caughnawaga

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mohawk ironworkers built many of New York City’s iconic skyscrapers. But simultaneously, they were also building a lesser known neighborhood of thei...

Atlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Los Rivera Destino and Jaquira Díaz

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week and next, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico. The Río Piedras-based comedy band Los Rivera Destino talk a...

Atlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Rita Moreno and Pachyman

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today and tomorrow, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.  Legendary actress, singer, dancer and EGOT winner Rita Mor...

Riding with Dilla

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Gabby Gladney sees her South Side Chicago neighborhood in a new light thanks to Mahogany Bus Tours, a local company sharing hidden histories ...

Is This America’s Ugliest Statue?

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1880s, an eccentric California dentist gave away free public water fountains in the hopes they would encourage people to drink less alcohol. On...

The Places We’re Thankful For

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener stories about the places we’re thankful for – from a beloved neighborhood, to an odd and out-of-place house down the block, to a library ...

The Blue Whale of Catoosa (Classic)

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Catoosa, Oklahoma is the cite of a massive landlocked whale - and possibly the greatest anniversary gift ever.READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atla...

Bohemians, Bootleggers, and Bogus Bottles: A History of Absinthe

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist and food writer Evan Rail considers himself a beer guy, but when a mysterious bright green spirit started shaking up the scene in the Czech...

The Integratron

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In August 1953, airstrip operator George van Tassel claimed he was woken up in the middle of the night by an intelligent lifeform from outer space nam...

St. Paul Island vs. the Rat

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On a remote island 200 miles off the coast of Alaska, a community hunts for a single, elusive rat. Read Daniel Wu’s original reporting on the rat ...

The Internet, IRL

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell tell us about two real-world places that have been shaped by the internet. Hosted by Simplecast, an ...

We want your stories of places you're grateful for!

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Blame it on this time of year, but we've been ruminating a lot on the places we're thankful for. And we want to hear your thoughts for a future episod...

The Wren’s Nest (Classic)

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta is both a museum and former home of journalist Joel Chandler Harris and a hub for modern storytellers.  Hosted by Simple...

Nate DiMeo’s Personal Memory Palace

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nate DiMeo, host and creator of The Memory Palace podcast, walks us through some of the rooms in his own personal memory palace. We visit his grandfat...

Malaria Bat Roosts

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During the early 20th century, malaria was ravaging the world. We hear the story of Dr. Charles Campbell, who had a plan to cure it. But as it turns o...

The Sul Ross Desk

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1980s, a group of friends on the track team at Sul Ross State University hauled a discarded dorm room desk to the top of a mountain. They left ...

San Juan Sounds (Classic)

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

San Juan Sounds is an iconic studio where musicians, engineers, and quite possibly a music-loving ghost carry on the island’s musical traditions, wh...

Weed Week: The International Church of Cannabis

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Travel to Denver Colorado and meet Steve Berke who helped found the first International Church of Cannabis in 2015. Learn more about it here. Hosted ...

Weed Week: San Francisco Cannabis Buyers’ Club

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The San Francisco Cannabis Buyers’ Club was one of the first marijuana dispensaries in the country. Its members were people with AIDS, cancer, and o...

Weed Week: Jirzankal Cemetery

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An ancient cemetery in western China may hold the answer to a question asked by many a stoner: where on Earth did humans first smoke weed to get high?...

Weed Week: Dope Lake

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1976, an airplane carrying 6,000 pounds of smuggled weed crashed into a remote lake in Yosemite. A group of climbers had a heyday. Read John Long’...

Weed Week: Get Inside the CannaVan

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cannabis is now legal in more than half of U.S. states, but it remains federally illegal – which makes doing research on the plant extremely diffic...

Spooky Week: The Gray Man (Classic)

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A South Carolina ghost story is a harbinger of hurricanes and a window into history. Read more in the Atlas: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sou...

Spooky Week: The Story of the Mad Gasser with Colin Dickey

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1944, a strange spate of “gas attacks” in a small Midwestern town reveals what was really lurking in mid-century America. Read Colin Dickey’s...

Spooky Week: Places That Give Us the Creeps

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listener stories about places that give off big creepy vibes – from an abandoned ice factory to a haunted university music building.If you want to ...

Spooky Week: No More Scary Stories at Camp

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To avoid traumatizing kids, many summer camps are banning scary stories. But can a little fun with fear be a good thing? Check out Roxanne Hoorn’s ...

Spooky Week: Elmer McCurdy’s Nine Lives

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1976, a television crew filming an episode of the show “The Six Million Dollar Man” descended on a rundown funhouse in Long Beach, California. ...

The Smallest Mollusk Museum (Classic)

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Smallest Mollusk Museum in New York City is part of a fleet of tiny museums that might just have a big impact on the world. Hosted by Simplecast, ...